Ikea starts selling solar panels in the UK

Ikea has started selling solar panels in the UK, with the technology initially available at one of its east London stores.

In an attempt to help boost growth in the heavily subsidised green energy market, the Swedish furniture store has starting selling solar panels as part of a trial.

Best known for selling affordable flatpack furniture like the Billy Bookcase, Ikea will be selling solar panels across all of its 17 UK stores within the next 10 months.

Currently, the solar panels are only available at the Lakeside store, which is already selling one photovoltaic (PV) solar panel system almost daily following a pilot scheme. They will be sold at the Southampton Ikea store from Monday.

Customers are required to spend at least £5,700 on a PV package, with the basic bundle offering 18 panels. Using those 18 panels, customers are expected to break even within seven years of use.

Ikea provides an in-store consultation, installation and maintenance service within the package price as standard.

“We know that our customers want to live more sustainably and we hope working with Hanergy to make solar panels affordable and easily available helps them do just that,” said Joanna Yarrow, Head of Sustainability at Ikea in the UK and Ireland.

In the UK, home owners are encouraged to adopt PV panels through a subsidy system that offers a set amount for each unit of electricity generated.

Rates vary on the size of the PV system installed and other requirements, but it helps save money on energy bills regardless.

An average semi-detached house in the UK with a south-facing roof earns as much as £770 a year through savings on energy bills and government subsidies, according to an Ikea study.